Today's News

THUMBS DOWN! ANOTHER WAKE-UP CALL. It’s been said before that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” a catastrophic wildfire will hit the Gallinas Canyon and watershed. But in a presentation to the Gallinas Partnership last week, U.S. Forest Service fire specialist Bill Armstrong minced no words as he reinforced that warning. “Your watershed is going to burn, categorically, without question,” he told a gathering of about 50 people.

We now continue our series about Las Vegas newspapers, as our tale of two cities would be lacking without the history of the fourth estate along the Gallinas.

Newspapers often provide a candid glimpse into the social, cultural and political events of the past — and often influence them — and newspapers also write the first draft of history, as Optic publisher Tom McDonald has observed.

Los Angeles Times on the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade (Jan. 22) — Forty years ago Jan. 22, the Supreme Court ruled that women had a constitutional right to an abortion. This one sweeping decision transformed abortion from what was often a secret, illicit and dangerous act, sometimes crudely self-inflicted, into a generally legal and safe procedure. But it also turned abortion, always an emotional issue, into one of society’s most divisive.

The federal government reports that New Mexico’s graduation rate for the 2009-2010 was 67.3 percent. That’s below the national average of 78.2 percent.
The so-called “average freshman graduation rates” indicate the percentage of 9th graders who go on to graduate within four years.
The rates are being reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Susana Martinez said Wednesday that she remained committed to “full repeal” of a New Mexico law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses despite signaling a willingness to compromise with state Democrats a day earlier.

SANTA FE — Spacecraft operators and manufacturers, along with their parts and services suppliers, will be shielded in New Mexico from most damage lawsuits by passengers on space tourism flights under a proposal touted as a compromise between trial lawyers and the fledgling space travel industry.

Supporters of the measure say it should help New Mexico remain competitive in a race with Florida, Texas and other states to become a hub for commercial space travel.

Editor’s note: With school board elections less than two weeks away it’s time to start brushing up on where candidates stand on the issues. The Optic submitted questionnaires to all school board candidates in San Miguel County. What follows are the responses from candidates running for a seat on the Las Vegas City Schools Board of Education. We’ll run responses from the other candidates in future editions of the Optic. Election Day is Feb. 5.